BOCA RATON, Fla. – Top-seeded Lynn University men's soccer scored twice in the second half to defeat the third-seed, Rollins, 2-0 in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament championship match on Sunday afternoon.
Fabian Vyhnalek opened the scoring in the 52
nd minute and Dominik N'gatie followed with a goal in the 78
th minute. N'gatie was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, scoring three goals during the run.
The victory marks Lynn's seventh SSC Tournament championship, the most of any school. Lynn is both the SSC regular season and tournament champion for the first time since 2019. The Fighting Knights are now 15-0-2 on the season and will gear up for the NCAA Tournament next week.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn built the momentum in the early stages with shots by Vyhnalek, Luan Barroso Rennstich and Alex Zedlitz in the 8th minute
- In the 22nd minute, Tony Gomez connected a header from a corner kick that was saved by Rollins keeper Jabari Gray
- Anton Mand and N'gatie had back-to-back opportunities between the 28th and 30th minutes
- Rollins closed out the half with two shots in the 39th minute but did not challenge goalkeeper Luca Clavero
- The Fighting Knights and the Tars went scoreless into the second half
- Kiefer had a brilliant opportunity to take the lead for Lynn in the 50th minute of the second half with a low-driven shot that hit off the left post
- Just two minutes later, Clavero rolled the ball quickly to Barroso Rennstich on the left flank
- Vyhnalek picked the ball up in the midfield and dribbled it to the opposing penalty area where he drilled a shot that targeted the bottom-left of the goal to give the Fighting Knights the opening goal, 1-0
- The Tars looked to equalize after shifting momentum a few minutes later, but Clavero made a crucial save that aimed for the top left corner
- With less than 13 minutes left of the game, Kiefer dribbled the ball down the left flank for a Lynn counterattack
- He entered the penalty area and selflessly passed the ball across the goal to N'gatie and doubled the lead, 2-0
- Lynn held the Rollins attack in check to complete the shutout and championship
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lynn attempted a season-high 26 shots
- Kiefer and Vyhnalek each had six shots
- Clavero made two saves for his 10
th clean sheet of the year
- Lynn outscored its opponents 9-0 during the tournament, outshooting them 62-26
2024 ALL-SSC TOURNAMENT TEAM:
- Dominik N'gatie (Lynn – MOP)
- Luca Clavero (Lynn)
- Jorge Lameiras (Rollins)
- Fabian Vyhnalek (Lynn)
- Pedro Lameiras (Rollins)
- Luis Kiefer (Lynn)
- Kaden Foreman (Rollins)
- Luan Barroso Rennstich (Lynn)
- Finlay Prain (Rollins)
- Alex Hare (Tampa)
- Scott Neil (Barry)
UP NEXT:
- Lynn awaits its opponent in the 2024 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament
- The 2024 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Selection Show will air Monday, Nov. 18 at 6:30 on NCAA.com
Courtesy of Lynn Athletic Communications